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Venezuela and Guyana Agree to Keep South America a Zone of Peace
15th of December 2023. Guyana, South America. GSA News. Guyana News.
Last updated: December 15, 2023 at 13:41 pmWhile it does not guarantee that other South American nations will not go to war with each other for whatever reasons, Guyana and Venezuela has, yesterday, in a historic development, agreed to do their part in keeping South America a zone of peace. The agreement was reached during a CARICOM brokered meeting aimed at promoting peace between the two neighboring countries. It was mediated by leaders from both CELAC and CARICOM.
After months of saber rattling and threatening a military invasion of the Essequibo, a defeated Maduro, battered by worldwide condemnation and opposition to his military aggression towards Guyana, waved a white flag all the way to St. Vincent and the Grenadines yesterday, 14th of December, 2023, where he was warmly greeted by Mr. Ralph Gonsalves and other heads of states and officials of CARICOM.
After months of growing tension which hit a climax on December 5, the residents of Guyana, South America can now breathe a sigh of relief and go on to celebrate a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. And it is projected to be a prosperous new year indeed, with oil production reaching an all-time high of about 500,000 barrels per day making Guyana the world’s fastest growing economy, literally. This peace and prosperity, which had long been threatened by Venezuela, will no longer face such threat of interruption with the historic and unprecedented Peace Agreement brokered by CARICOM and CELAC on December 14th, 2023. Both countries have agreed to bury the hatchet after a softened Maduro held up a white flag and attended the meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In my opinion, the knock out punch to Maduro’s faltering morale was dealt by the statement by UK Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, who said, “these borders were settled in 1899, and I see no case whatsoever for unilateral action by Venezuela. It is wrong. It must cease….” A few days later, Maduro signaled his willingness to meet with President Ali and other leaders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines for CARICOM brokered peace talks.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐘𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐆𝐔𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐔𝐘𝐀𝐍𝐀 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐙𝐔𝐄𝐋𝐀
On Thursday, December 14, 2023, in Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and His Excellency Nicolas Maduro, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela held discussions on matters consequential to the territory in dispute between their two countries.
These discussions were facilitated by the Prime Minister of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Pro-Tempore President of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Dr. The Honourable Ralph E. Gonsalves, and the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Dominica and Chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Honourable Roosevelt Skerrit. Prime Ministers Gonsalves and Skerrit, together with H.E. Mr. Celso Amorim, Special Adviser and Personal Envoy of H.E. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of the Federative Republic of Brazil, acted as principal Interlocutors. Also present were Honourable Prime Ministers of the Caribbean Community, namely: the Honourable Philip Davis, Prime Minister of The Bahamas; the Honourable Mia Amor Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados; the Honourable Dickon Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada; the Honourable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Honourable Terrence Drew of Saint Kitts and Nevis and Dr. The Honourable Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Attending as Observers on behalf of His Excellency António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations were Their Excellencies Earle Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Miroslav Jenca, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs. In addition, His Excellency Alvaro Leyva Durán, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Colombia and Mr. Gerardo Torres Zelaya, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Honduras, in his capacity as CELAC Troika, also participated.
All parties attending the meeting at Argyle, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines reiterated their commitment to Latin America and the Caribbean remaining a Zone of Peace.
Guyana and Venezuela declared as follows:
1. Agreed that Guyana and Venezuela, directly or indirectly, will not threaten or use force against one another in any circumstances, including those consequential to any existing controversies between the two States.
2. Agreed that any controversies between the two States will be resolved in accordance with international law, including the Geneva Agreement dated February 17, 1966.
3. Committed to the pursuance of good neighborliness, peaceful coexistence, and the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean.
4. Noted Guyana’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy. Noted Venezuela’s assertion of its lack of consent and lack of recognition of the International Court of Justice and its jurisdiction in the border controversy.
5. Agreed to continue dialogue on any other pending matters of mutual importance to the two countries.
6. Agreed that both States will refrain, whether by words or deeds, from escalating any conflict or disagreement arising from any controversy between them. The two States will cooperate to avoid incidents on the ground conducive to tension between them. In the event of such an incident the two States will immediately communicate with one another, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Community of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC), and the President of Brazil to contain, reverse and prevent its recurrence.
7. Agreed to establish immediately a joint commission of the Foreign Ministers and technical persons from the two States to address matters as mutually agreed. An update from this joint commission will be submitted to the Presidents of Guyana and Venezuela within three months.
8. Both States agreed that Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves, the Pro-Tempore President of CELAC, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, the incumbent CARICOM Chairman, and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil will remain seized of the matter as Interlocutors and the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres as Observer, with the ongoing concurrence of Presidents Irfaan Ali and Nicolas Maduro. For the avoidance of doubt, Prime Minister Gonsalves’ role will continue even after Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ceases to be the Pro-Tempore President of CELAC, within the framework of the CELAC Troika plus one; and Prime Minister Skerrit’s role will continue as a member of the CARICOM Bureau.
9. Both States agreed to meet again in Brazil, within the next three months, or at another agreed time, to consider any matter with implications for the territory in dispute, including the above-mentioned update of the joint commission.
10. We express our appreciation to Prime Ministers Gonsalves and Skerrit, to President Lula and his Personal Envoy Celso Amorim, to all other CARICOM Prime Ministers present, to the officials of the CARICOM Secretariat, to the CELAC Troika and to the Head of the CELAC PTP Secretariat in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, His Excellency Dr. Douglas Slater, for their respective roles in making this meeting a success.
11. We express our appreciation to the Government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for their kind facilitation and hospitality at this meeting.
Dated this 14th day of December, 2023.